Through our very own editors and guest writers, this blog will discuss the INSIDE scoop on the admissions process of various schools and programs. If you wish to ask a specific question, please write to us, and we will make every attempt to address your questions in our future blog discussions.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

UC Tightening its Belt on California Students

With annual tuition costs hovering around $13,000, it's easy to forget that the University of California was originally created as a state-funded educational system. The oldest of the UC campuses at Berkeley, was established in 1868-just two decades after California ratified its first State Constitution. The aim of accessible education was one of its tenets.

In the years since, the UC system has blossomed. Ten campuses exist throughout the state, boasting undergraduate and graduate student enrollment of over 230,000 students. Some of the UC institutions are amongst the most prestigious centers in the world for learning and research. It's two most competitive campuses, at Los Angeles and Berkeley, are as highly sought after as many of the nation's top private universities.

Unfortunately for Californians, the UC appears to be growing less accessible to locals. State funding for the UC has been slashed again and again in recent decades (by about $1 billion since the year 2000). Universities are forced to fundraise in order to cover their budgetary gaps. But one of their greatest resources comes in another form-out-of-state tuition.

Foreign students and non-California residents are charged nearly triple the rate of tuition as in-state locals. That's around $36,000 a year. And those students come at no extra cost to the university. It is pure profit for the UC and it all turns on the address of the applicant.

For the 2015-2016 academic year, just 60% of California applicants were offered spots at UC schools. The LA Times reports that this figure is down from 79.9% in 1999. The UC makes no secret of their reasons. It’s a budgetary policy. They simply cannot afford to accept more local students while still covering their own costs.

For aspiring UC students who are residents of California, this may come as frustrating news. So long as the state budget remains strained, and college admissions remain highly competitive, there appears to be no relief in sight.